Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study.
[2] Taxidermy is practiced primarily on vertebrates[3] (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and less commonly on amphibians) but can also be done to larger insects and arachnids[4] under some circumstances.
Taxidermy takes on a number of forms and purposes including hunting trophies and natural history museum displays.
Museums use taxidermy as a method to record species, including those that are extinct and threatened,[5] in the form of study skins and life-size mounts.
The earliest methods of preservation of birds for natural history cabinets were published in 1748 by René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur in France.
[10] In the 19th century, some hunters took their trophies to upholstery shops, where the upholsterers would sew up the animal skins and stuff them with rags and cotton.
[12] The golden age of taxidermy was during the Victorian era, when mounted animals became a popular part of interior design and decor.
They generated much interest among the public and scientists alike who considered them superior to earlier models, and they were regarded as the first lifelike and artistic specimens on display.
[16] Hancock's display sparked great national interest in taxidermy, and amateur and professional collections for public view proliferated rapidly.
An early example of this genre was displayed by Herman Ploucquet, from Stuttgart, Germany, at the Great Exhibition in London.
[18] The best-known practitioner in this genre was the English taxidermist Walter Potter, whose most famous work was The Death and Burial of Cock Robin.
"[19] Apart from the simulations of human situations, he had also added examples of bizarrely deformed animals such as two-headed lambs and four-legged chickens.
[21] Famous examples of modern anthropomorphic taxidermy include the work of artist Adele Morse, who gained international attention with her "Stoned Fox" sculpture series,[22] and the work of artist Sarina Brewer, known for her Siamese twin squirrels and flying monkeys partaking in human activities.
Decorating with sculpted fake animal heads that are painted in different colors has become a popular trend in interior design.
[26] The genre was born from forms of fine art that utilize some of the components found in the construction of a traditional taxidermy mount.
[27][29] The Minneapolis-based group was founded by artists Sarina Brewer, Scott Bibus, and Robert Marbury as a means to unite their respective mediums and differing styles of sculpture.
[35][36] (e.g.; sideshow gaffs of conjoined "freak" animals and mounts of jackalopes or other fictional creatures) In addition to being the impetus for the art movement, the inception of the genre also marked a resurgence of interest in conventional (traditional) forms of taxidermy.
Mounting an animal has long been considered an art form, often involving months of work; not all modern taxidermists trap or hunt for prized specimens.
(The skeleton and all accompanying musculature is still beneath the surface of the skin) The animal is positioned into the desired pose, then placed into the chamber of a special freeze-drying machine designed specifically for this application.
[39] The length of the dry-time is important because rapid freezing creates less tissue distortion (i.e.; shrinkage, warping, and wrinkling)[39] The process can be done with reptiles, birds, and small mammals such as cats, rodents, and some dogs.
In the case of large pets, such as dogs and cats, freeze-drying is also the best way to capture the animal's expression as it looked in life (another important concern of owners).
Taxidermy mounts are targeted by the same beetles and fabric moths that destroy wool sweaters and fur coats and that infest grains and flour in pantries.
Reproduction mounts are commonly created for (among others) trout, bass, and large saltwater species such as the swordfish and blue marlin.
Endangered and protected species, such as the rhinoceros, are hunted with rifles loaded with tranquilizer darts rather than real bullets.
Re-creation mounts are accurate life-size representations of either extant or extinct species that are created using materials not found on the animal being rendered.
According to the National Taxidermy Association: "Re-creations, for the purpose of this [competition] category, are defined as renderings which include no natural parts of the animal portrayed.
For instance, a re-creation eagle could be constructed using turkey feathers, or a cow hide could be used to simulate African game".
[41] A famous example of a re-creation mount is a giant panda created by taxidermist Ken Walker that he constructed out of dyed and bleached black bear fur.
Study skins are dried in these positions to keep the end product as slender and streamlined as possible so large numbers of specimens can be stored side-by-side in flat file drawers, while occupying a minimum amount of space.
